Coronavirus: Agra Mayor urges govt to shut historical monuments including Taj Mahal

In the wake of coronavirus outbreak, Agra Mayor Naveen Jain on Friday urged the Centre to close all the historical monuments in the country including the Taj Mahal till the situation doesn't come under control. Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government has strengthened the surveillance and control measures against the disease.

"Foreign tourists in large numbers visit Agra, this increases the chances of spread of coronavirus in the city. I urge the Government of India to close all historical monuments in the country including the Taj Mahal till the time situation doesn't come under control," Jain told ANI.

"To date, 2915 travelers from corona affected countries have been identified and tracked by District Surveillance Units and all have been placed under surveillance. Total 713 travelers being tracked are in fine health, 708 travelers are under home isolation, 3 of them are symptomatic at present and admitted at various hospitals, condition of all of them is stable," read an official statement of the government.

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The state has cross-notified 532 travelers to other states within India and details of 26 travelers have been shared with NCDC, GOI for International Cross-notification. This comes after the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has reached 31 in India. The deadly virus has caused more than 3200 deaths across the world. The novel coronavirus disease, dubbed COVID-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO), was first detected in Wuhan, Hubei Province, in late December 2019 and has since spread to more than 20 other countries. 

Coronavirus in India 

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday to discuss the issue of Coronavirus which has become a global threat with 31 cases of the virus tested positive in India. The Health Minister will likely to brief PM Modi about the measures that have been taken by the government in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak as well as 'standards of care' maintained in hospitals.

"Every era brings new challenges to test and strengthen our 'Collaborate to Create' spirit. Just as today, Coronavirus has come up as a big challenge in front of the world. Financial institutions have considered it as a big challenge for the economy. Today, we all have to tackle this situation together," Prime Minister Modi had earlier said at a media conclave.

According to the Union Health Ministry, the fresh cases of COVID-19 have been reported from New Delhi, Telangana, and Rajasthan where an Italian national was found positive with the infection in Jaipur. Last month, three cases were recorded in Kerala — who have now recovered and discharged from hospital.

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(With ANI inputs)